Quote Originally Posted by TuffStuffMcGruff View Post
You guys are completely nuts. There are quite a few people who would not work if their needs were being met with free money, free health care, free internet, free food. Today, everyones needs are being met, we just hear everyone complaint about debt and other rich world problems. Our poor have cable tv and the ability to get free emergency care, government food, free education, free library services. Now the government has to give them additional checks every month? Where does the gov get this money, adrian asked? The reason people are "hearltess" in this country is because those hearts have been stolen by freeloading, drug abusing trash who already have their needs and more met for free, yet have the audacity to demand more. The people we need to look out for are those who work hard and have the same living standards as the useless parasitic trash. Those people I feel for, the ones who actually pay the emergency room bills, pay taxes and still can't make ends meet. Those people I worry about.
Such an idealist. I'm a pragmatist.

Feed 'em, else they'll turn to crime which costs more.
Education as more will get better jobs (UK education system is a mess - free, streamed education. Some leave school at 14 to get apprenticeships others study to get a degree and a skilled job).
Proper healthcare is far less expensive than the USA's model. A large portion of the workforce is unfit to work. Am I saying free cosmetic surgery or fertility treatment? No, just the use of cheap drugs to fix the simple things that massively reduces the costs in Emergency clinics.

The cheques replace almost all other benefits. People just get the one. That's it. It'd easily be cheaper than the convoluted mess we've currently got. For example, in the UK, locking up a criminal for 1 week is something like £1,000. Suddenly a system that gives a lot less to keep people out of jail is a snip - if against ideology.

You work, you get more disposable income for things like cable TV and so on. No poverty trap such is the case in the UK and USA where to work a bit means loss of healthcare (USA) or benefits (UK), meaning you get less money.